I recently had the pleasure of speaking on Middle Ground Book Fest‘s panel on Engaging Reluctant Readers. One of the questions was about strategies for reaching reluctant readers in the library. I went into detail about my one-on-one approach with readers, but I wanted to shed some light on another approach that I use: high… Read More Engaging Reluctant Readers During Book Talks
Middle Ground Book Fest is one bright, shiny, happy thing that’s in our library world right now. Let’s appreciate it, celebrate it, and lift it up. … Read More Middle Ground Book Fest: what is it, and why should you be excited?
Any children’s librarian can attest: one of the most common questions we get is “My kid loved Dog Man. What else can they read?” Dog Man is a wildly popular graphic novel series for ages 6 – 10, and if you’ve ever read it, you know why. They are full of silliness, adventure, and character… Read More What to Read Next: Books Like Dog Man
Six years ago I wrote a blog post. 10 Poems That Teenagers Might Actually Love. I was fresh out of an English Literature undergrad and midway through my library degree. I decided that for a poem to be appealing to teens it should meet two major criteria: Vivid imagery Relevant subject matter 10 Poems That Teenagers… Read More 10 Poems by Women that Teens Might Love
Virtual Storytimes are hugely popular right now, and for good reason. But a lot of librarians are new to video creation and don’t know where to start. Through trial and error, and some research, I’ve put together this list of best practices. Please leave your ideas and resources in the comments! The greatest challenge of… Read More Tips for Recording Virtual Storytimes due to COVID-19
Does Dog Man’s popularity have no end? Are there even kids out there who have yet to become fans?! That’s what it feels like everyday at the library when we can’t keep the books on the shelves, and kids are bubbling away talking about their favourite characters, and the best flip-animation pages. Naturally, I decided… Read More Dog Man Library Program Outline
“New Year, New Books” Bulletin Board Display I love how this sparkly, awards-show-esque “New Years New Books” bulletin board display turned out. I used the Cricut to cut out the text and the stars on glittery gold paper, and printed out covers of anticipated 2020 releases. My hope is that families see the books and… Read More New Years Display Ideas
Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis For me, this was a passionate one day read. I couldn’t wait to reach the end. It reads like a detailed fever dream. I was at once racing to finish, savoring every word, and scared to turn the page! Ashley is our teenage main character. Raised by… Read More My 2020 YA ARC Reviews: Be Not Far From Me, All Your Twisted Secrets, and Tweet Cute
Looking for a cozy, non-Christmas winter bulletin board display, with a sprinkle of audience participation? Look no further than my new Spot The Difference Snowpeople Display! If you follow me on Instagram, ontarianlibrarian, you already know that I am in love with the Cricut Explore Air 2 machine at my desk! I’m in change of… Read More Spot the Difference Snowpeople Display
Note: this is not an advertisement or a sponsored post. Just a librarian’s honest opinion on a wonderful product. When I first heard of Big Blue Blocks, I knew that I wanted to bring them to my library. Not only do they encourage imaginative play and physical literacy, but they are durable, lightweight, and surprisingly… Read More Using Big Blue Blocks at the Library
Ontarian Librarian 